google-maps-skill

English | 中文

AI-powered Google Maps skill for Claude Code — plan international trips through natural conversation.

Why this skill?

Google Maps is the most widely used map in the world. While restricted in a few countries (China, North Korea), it remains the go-to map for international travel.

The pain point: When traveling abroad, Google Maps shows local scripts you can't read — Korean looks like paperclips scattered on the screen, Japanese place names get translated inconsistently between Google Maps and Chinese travel communities (Xiaohongshu, Mafengwo, etc.).

The solution: Install this skill in Claude Code, and you get an AI-powered conversation layer on top of real Google Maps data. Ask in plain Chinese (or any language), get structured results with translated place names, route comparisons, and local context — no more squinting at unfamiliar scripts on your phone.

Features

Command	What it does
geocode	Address → coordinates ("Where exactly is Tokyo Tower?")
reverse-geocode	Coordinates → address ("What's at this pin?")
directions	Route planning with 4 travel modes: drive, walk, bike, transit
places-search	Find places by text query ("ramen near Shinjuku")
places-nearby	Discover places around a location ("cafes within 500m")
place-detail	Get full details of a specific place
elevation	Elevation data for any location
timezone	Timezone info for any location

Setup

Prerequisites

• Bun runtime
• Google Cloud CLI (gcloud)

Enable GCP APIs (AI-assisted, 4 commands)

Skip the Google Cloud Console UI. Use gcloud CLI instead — paste these commands and you're done.

Step 1: Login and create project

gcloud auth login
gcloud projects create my-maps-skill --name="my-maps-skill"

Step 2: Link billing

# Find your billing account ID
gcloud billing accounts list

# Link it
gcloud billing projects link my-maps-skill --billing-account=YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID

Step 3: Enable all 5 APIs at once

gcloud services enable \
  geocoding-backend.googleapis.com \
  routes.googleapis.com \
  places.googleapis.com \
  elevation-backend.googleapis.com \
  timezone-backend.googleapis.com \
  --project=my-maps-skill

Step 4: Create API key

gcloud services api-keys create --display-name="maps-skill-key" --project=my-maps-skill

Save the keyString from the output.

Set environment variable

export GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY="your_key_here"

Add to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc to persist.

Installation

Option 1: Claude Code Marketplace (Recommended)

/plugin marketplace add deusyu/google-maps-skill
/plugin install gmaps@google-maps-skill

Option 2: npx

npx skills add deusyu/google-maps-skill

Option 3: Manual

git clone https://github.com/deusyu/google-maps-skill.git
cp -r google-maps-skill/skills/gmaps ~/.claude/skills/

Usage

After installation, just talk to Claude in any language:

鹿儿岛核心区有哪些酒店？

从福冈到鹿儿岛怎么走，有几种方式？

Tokyo Tower 的经纬度是多少？

Find restaurants near Shibuya Station

What timezone is Bangkok in?

Claude reads the map data, translates place names, and gives you a clear answer — no need to memorize any commands.

Architecture

This project uses a declarative command-as-module pattern:

• Each command is a standalone file exporting a CommandDef configuration object
• A generic engine reads the config and executes — no per-command execution logic needed
• A generic validator auto-checks input flags based on flag definitions
• Supports two auth modes (query param / header) and two HTTP methods (GET / POST)

Adding a new command = 1 new file + 1 line in the registry.

commands/
├── geocode.ts          # Each file is a declarative command definition
├── directions.ts       # POST + header auth + fieldMask
├── place-detail.ts     # Dynamic URL (buildUrl)
├── ...
└── index.ts            # Registry: Map<string, CommandDef>

Compared to the earlier amap-skill (AMap / Gaode Maps):

	amap-skill	google-maps-skill
Command definition	300-line switch	One file per command, declarative
Validation	490-line switch	Generic schema-driven ~55 lines
HTTP	GET only	GET + POST
Auth	query param only	query or header, per command
Route commands	8 (4 modes x 2 variants)	1 directions --mode
Adding a command	Touch 4+ files	1 new file + 1 registry line

License

MIT